Director of research in the Volp caves (Tuc d'Audoubert, Les Trois-Frères & Enlène), Co-Director of Tracking in Caves project Phone: +49 221 556680 Address: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte Kochstraße 4/18 D-91054 Erlangen
Terrestrial laser scanning was conducted to document and analyse sites of geoarchaeological inter... more Terrestrial laser scanning was conducted to document and analyse sites of geoarchaeological interest in Jordan, Egypt and Spain. In those cases, the terrestrial laser scanner LMS-Z420i from Riegl was used in combination with an accurate RTK-GPS for georeferencing of the point clouds. Additionally, local surveying networks were integrated by established transformations and used for indirect registration purposes. All data were integrated in a workflow that involves different software and according results. The derived data were used for the documentation of the sites by accurate plans and cross-sections. Furthermore, the 3D data were analysed for geoarchaeological research problems, such as volumetric determinations, the ceiling thickness of a cave and lighting simulations based on path tracing. The method was reliable in harsh environmental conditions, but the weight of the instrument, the measuring time and the minimum measurement distance were a drawback. However, generally an accurate documentation of the sites was possible. Overall, the integration in a 3D GIS is easily possible by the accurate georeference of the derived data. In addition, local survey results are also implemented by the established transformations. Enhanced analyses based on the derived 3D data shows promising results.
Terrestrial laser scanning was conducted to document and analyse sites of geoarchaeological inter... more Terrestrial laser scanning was conducted to document and analyse sites of geoarchaeological interest in Jordan, Egypt and Spain. In those cases, the terrestrial laser scanner LMS-Z420i from Riegl was used in combination with an accurate RTK-GPS for georeferencing of the point clouds. Additionally, local surveying networks were integrated by established transformations and used for indirect registration purposes. All data were integrated in a workflow that involves different software and according results. The derived data were used for the documentation of the sites by accurate plans and cross-sections. Furthermore, the 3D data were analysed for geoarchaeological research problems, such as volumetric determinations, the ceiling thickness of a cave and lighting simulations based on path tracing. The method was reliable in harsh environmental conditions, but the weight of the instrument, the measuring time and the minimum measurement distance were a drawback. However, generally an accurate documentation of the sites was possible. Overall, the integration in a 3D GIS is easily possible by the accurate georeference of the derived data. In addition, local survey results are also implemented by the established transformations. Enhanced analyses based on the derived 3D data shows promising results.
Possible contacts between hunter-gatherers of Northern Africa and Europe via the Strait of Gibral... more Possible contacts between hunter-gatherers of Northern Africa and Europe via the Strait of Gibraltar during the Pleistocene are still object to discussions. In the absence of significant fossil remains, debates are mainly based on similarities and differences of singular aspects of material culture. However, a theoretical framework for these discussions was lacking. The first aim of this study thus has been the development of a theoretical base. We therein included Maslow´s pyramid of basic needs. The idea of our approach is that the presence or absence of so-called cultural tracers identify either contact or disparity. A large database on archaeological sites of Morocco and Southern Iberia dating between 160 ka and 40 ka years ago has been compiled, containing information about lithic technology and typology, lithic raw material acquisition, subsistence patterns and symbolic behaviour. We formulated three potential contact scenarios between the two regions. The presence and/ or absence of so-called cultural tracers within the data set, that covered all levels of Maslow´s pyramid, led us to conclude that – based on the present archaeological and anthropological data-no contact took place between Iberian and North African populations across the Strait of Gibraltar in the given time frame. RESUMEN Contactos entre grupos humanos del Pleistoceno superior entre África del Norte y la Península Ibérica cruzando el Estrecho de Gibraltar están siendo objeto de debates. Por la falta de fósiles humanos significativos el debate se centra básicamente en similitudes y diferencias en la cultura material. Pero todavía falta un marco metodológico para la discusión. Este trabajo intenta la presentación de una base teórica preliminar. La pirámide de Maslow con necesidades básicas forma parte de estas reflexiones. La ausencia o presencia de marcadores cul-turales indica según nuestro enfoque contactos o disparidades. En un banco de datos de yacimientos arqueológicos entre 160 ka y 40 ka de Marruecos y del sur de España hemos compilado información sobre tecnología de inventarios líticos, aprovisionamiento de materias primas, patrones de asentamiento y comportamiento simbólico. Se pueden formular tres escenarios de contacto entre ambas regiones. La aplicación de marcadores culturales in relación con la pirámide entera de Maslow indica que según la información actual no se pueden demostrar con-tactos entre ambos continentes. LABURPENA Iparraldeko Afrikaren eta Iberiar penintsularen artean, Gibraltargo itsasartea zeharkatuta, Goi-pleistozenoan giza taldeen artean izan ziren harremanak eztabaidagai bihurtu dira. Gizakiaren fosil esanguratsurik ez dagoenez, eztabaidaren gai nagusia, batez ere, kultura materialean dauden antzekotasunak eta aldeak dira. Baina oraindik eztabaidarako testuinguru metodologikoa falta da. Lan honen helburua da aurretiazko oinarri teorikoa aurkeztea. Oinarrizko beharrak dituen Maslow piramidea gogoeta horien baitan dago. Gure ustez, markatzaile kulturalik ez izateak edo halakoak izateak harremanak edo desberdintasunak adierazten ditu. Marokotik eta Espainiako hegoaldetik 160 ka eta 40 ka arteko distantziara dauden aztarnategi arkeologikoetako datu-basean, inbentario litikoen teknologiari, lehengaien hornikuntzari, finkapeneko ereduei eta portaera sinbolikoari buruzko informazioa jaso dugu. Hori guztia kontuan hartuta, bi eskualdeen arteko harremanetako hiru egoera formula ditzakegu. Gaur egun eskuragarri dugun informazioaren arabera, Maslowko piramide osoarekin lotuta kultur markatzaileak aplikatzeak bi kon-tinente horien arteko kontaktuak ezin direla egiaztatu adierazten du.
Cave art, or rock art in caves, constitutes something special in the Western Desert of Egypt, whe... more Cave art, or rock art in caves, constitutes something special in the Western Desert of Egypt, where most depictions are found in rock shelters. Such enclosed spaces provide further possibilities for the analysis of the rock art, apart from the description of panels and fi gures. The placement, the choice of the bedrock and the space itself are also of interest and infl uenced the prehistoric artist just as well as the cultural background. The dripstone cave of Djara, situated on the Egyptian Limestone Plateau halfway between Asyut in the Nile Valley and the Farafra Oasis, with its rich incised rock art repertoire, affords a good basis for such an analysis. In this article, the results of the rock art documentation, done by the Cologne based ACACIA-project1, are being published for the fi rst time in their entirety2. Until now, only little was known about the rock art of the northern part of Egypt’s Western Desert, so Djara can contribute another brick to our understanding of the area.
The Grotta di Cala dei Genovesi on the island of Levanzo off Sicily’s western coast contains one ... more The Grotta di Cala dei Genovesi on the island of Levanzo off Sicily’s western coast contains one of the most important records of Late Glacial rock art in the Mediterranean region. The animal and human engravings stem from the Late Epigravettian period and are characterized by a naturalistic style, stylistic parallels can be found on the island of Sicily and in southern Italy. More than fifty years after the original documentation, a field campaign by an Italian-German team was carried out in June 2012 as a first step to investigate the Palaeolithic engravings with modern techniques and to modify and complement it where necessary. The systematic approach and the use of 3D scanning technology make the documentation of rock art more detailed, objective and efficient. Consequently the new study has succeeded in identifying various animals with much more detail and also in detecting several new, previously unknown figures. With the identification of four new bovid images the aurochs is now the most prominent animal in the pictorial composition of the cave (13 x), followed by equids (12 x) and cervids (8 x). This dominance of bovids is thought to have a meaning beyond the environmental context: the aurochs was the largest and strongest animal of the Late Glacial to early Holocene of Sicily and represented a dangerous prey at that time. Strong animals had a prominent role in Upper Palaeolithic cave art, and it is probably not a coincidence that in the Grotta di Cala dei Genovesi the aurochs seems to be represented only by depictions of adult individuals, while three of the eight cervid images can be identified as young animals. In addition this dominance shows parallels to a similar phenomenon in Late Glacial cave art of Southern Iberia.
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